Climate Change

About Climate Change

Based on data generated by International Energy Agency, Singapore ranks 123rd of 142 countries in terms of CO2 emissions per dollar GDP76

Singapore ranks 26th out of 142 countries in terms of emissions per capita77

Projecting from 2005, our business-as-usual (BAU) emissions are expected to reach 77.2 million tonnes (MT) in 2020. 60.3% of these emissions are generated by industry, 14.5% from transport, 13.8% from buildings, 7.6% from households and 3.9% from others such as waste, water other electricity use.78

“The global climate is changing. Average global temperature and sea levels are expected to rise if carbon emissions from human activities continue to grow unchecked, and extreme weather events are likely to become more intense and frequent.

What does this mean for Singapore? Extreme weather events can lead to changes in rainfall patterns, resulting in more intense rainfall or drier periods. Flood and water management will be of even greater importance for Singapore. In addition, more frequent extreme weather events may lead to volatile global food prices and disruptions to business supply chains. This will affect business activities in Singapore and our food imports.” ~ Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister

UN SDG 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. With political will and various technological measures, there is a real possibility of limiting an increase in global mean temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels74. Urgent collective action is imperative to address global warming.

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase and is more than 50% higher than their 1990 level69.

Average global temperature has risen by 0.85°C.

“To put this into perspective, for each 1 degree of temperature increase, grain yields decline by about 5 per cent. Maize, wheat and other major crops have experienced significant yield reductions at the global level of 40 megatonnes per year between 1981 and 2002 due to a warmer climate.”70

Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of people around the world71

This figure is likely to increase due to rising temperatures as a result of climate change

It is estimated that at least one in four people are likely to be affected by recurring water shortages by 205072

People who contributed least to the causes of climate change are mostly living in developing countries. However, the impact of climate change hits them the hardest. Disasters such as floods, droughts and other extreme weather disasters are destroying homes and livelihoods, creating food shortages and claiming the lives of those living in the poorest countries73.

UN SDG 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. With political will and various technological measures, there is a real possibility of limiting an increase in global mean temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels74. Urgent collective action is imperative to address global warming.

Past Projects

Room to Grow

Some 150,000 people – mainly from minority ethnic groups fleeing repression and human rights violations at the hands of the Myanmar government – live in refugee camps along the Thai – Burmese border. Malnutrition among the children here is a serious issue.

GLOBAL

69Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. (n.d.). Retrieved from Sustainable Development Goals: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change-2/70Ibid71Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation. (n.d.). Retrieved from United Nations Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sdgoverview/post-2015-development-agenda/goal-6.html72Ibid73Climate Action. (n.d.). Retrieved from ONE: https://www.one.org/international/globalgoals/climate-action/74Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. (n.d.). Retrieved from Sustainable Development Goals: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change-2/